Chapter 179 Unfilial Son
Erik glanced slightly toward the person behind the desk. Preston's face looked terrible at that moment. Erik felt immense pressure and nervously swallowed before lowering his voice to hint, "Mr. Leopold Wipere, Mr. Preston Wipere has been quite busy lately. I hope you understand."
Without Erik's hint, Leopold already knew Preston was listening nearby.
He didn't make things difficult for Erik, directing his words at Preston instead. "I understand, of course I understand. Mr. Preston Wipere is busy, but I've got plenty of time right now. Tell him to come find me when he's not so busy."
After hanging up, Leopold tossed his phone aside, went to the kitchen fridge to get a bottle of water, and drank more than half of it to suppress the irritation in his heart.
As expected, the phone should ring again.
Erik respectfully put down the phone. "Mr. Preston Wipere, Mr. Leopold Wipere he..."
"I'm not deaf." Preston said coldly, looking down at the phone on the desk. "You can go."
Erik nodded and left the office, closing the door.
The huge office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Preston picked up his phone but was reluctant to press Leopold's number.
Today's arrogant Leopold was entirely his own creation—calling it "raising a tiger to invite disaster" wasn't an exaggeration.
If he hadn't given Leopold power and benefits bit by bit out of family sentiment back then, Leopold wouldn't have today's achievements and status.
Not only was Leopold ungrateful, but he even wanted to help outsiders bring him down!
That ungrateful son!
No one expected the overseas hotel to be exposed by a blogger for unsanitary bedding. The video's views had already exceeded ten million. PR quickly contacted major media outlets to delete the video, but with little effect.
Even screenshots of PR's conversations requesting video deletions were posted online. Domestic hotel revenues also showed varying degrees of decline, and more and more voices demanded that Leopold come out and take charge.
In the current situation, public opinion urgently needed Leopold to appear, but Preston knew these voices were manufactured by Victor and his people, yet he could do nothing about it.
Gemma knocked on the office door at this moment. Seeing her face, Preston knew what she wanted to discuss.
"Preston, I just checked my phone. The public opinion about the overseas hotel incident hasn't been suppressed."
Preston felt annoyed just thinking about it.
"So, do you have a good solution?" Preston asked back.
Gemma looked confident. "Let Bodhi handle it. Besides Leopold, Bodhi is also very good at handling public opinion in the company. He'll take care of it. If that doesn't work, we'll give this blogger some compensation. Everyone has a price. If he hasn't agreed, it just means the price isn't right. Once he accepts, we'll have control. We'll have him post an apology statement, and won't that solve everything?"
Preston asked coldly, "Did Bodhi say money would solve it?"
Gemma was convinced. "Of course. Bodhi has already handled many similar problems and has never failed."
Preston tapped his fingers on the desk, frustrated. "Are the customers Bodhi dealt with the same as this customer? If the other party really needed money, they wouldn't have posted the video online directly—they would have come to us first to negotiate." He closed his eyes in anger. "Before doing anything, can you people use your brains?"
Gemma's lips parted slightly, surprise flashing across her face.
"What's wrong?" Preston asked.
Gemma said, "Bodhi has already gone to find them."
Preston's pupils contracted, then his face showed anger. "What kind of mess is this! Contact him quickly and tell him to come back."
At that moment, Bodhi had already dialed the other party's number.
When Gemma called Bodhi, it indicated he was already on another call.
"Oh no, he must be calling them now."
Preston said angrily, "What are you standing there for? Go to his office and find him."
"I'll go right now." Gemma left the office in a panic.
Preston rubbed his forehead with a headache. After two seconds of silence, he pressed Leopold's number.
The moment the phone connected, Preston took a deep breath to adjust his emotions and said in a low voice, "Leopold, you've been back in the country for so many days and haven't come to see me. Is this because you're angry with me about the overseas hotel incident?"
Leopold was watering his plants. Hearing his words, he found them extremely ironic. He pulled the corner of his mouth indifferently and asked, "What do you need me to do for the company this time?"
Leopold's words were becoming sharper and sharper. Before, even when expressing dissatisfaction, he wouldn't make his words too harsh, but now it was different.
Currently, Preston needed this chess piece, so he could only choose to ignore Leopold's barbed words.
Preston said, "The overseas company was exposed for bedding hygiene problems. We need to handle the public opinion."
Leopold continued watering the flowers, speaking unhurriedly, "Isn't there Mr. Talbot? He's outstanding and very capable in business."
Preston said regretfully, "Leopold, why don't you understand me? What parent in the world doesn't hope for their child's success? You've really disappointed my expectations! You shouldn't put promotions and raises first. Young people need to suffer more to have a better future. Who else but me would tell you these things?"
Well, moral kidnapping combined with mind control. If Leopold didn't know Preston well, he might really have believed it.
"It seems Mr. Preston Wipere is very disappointed in me." Leopold put down the spray bottle and wiped up the spilled water with a cloth.
Preston answered indirectly, "You should know, in my heart, I hope for your success."
Leopold replied leisurely, "But the decisions Mr. Preston Wipere has made regarding me haven't shown any sign of hoping for my success."
Preston said, "If you want to think that way, there's nothing I can do."
"So?"
Preston paused. "Leopold, you have a lot of complaints about me right now."
Leopold wanted to tear off Preston's hypocritical mask. "If you want to think that way, there's nothing I can do."
Preston fell silent.
Using his own words against him.
Leopold had become smarter.
"Leopold," Preston said earnestly, "the overseas hotel was handled by you in the early stages. The company pays you, so you have an obligation to contribute, right?"
Leopold asked back, "I've already done my part to maximize profits for the company for my labor. Now, you want me to pay for someone else's mistakes? Whoever caused the problem should solve it—that's what's fair."
Preston said, "This isn't about who's right or wrong. Mr. Talbot isn't sensitive to public opinion, which led to the video being exposed and creating extremely negative social impact. He lacks experience in this area of business."
Leopold's mouth curved up in a sinister smile. "So, the company sent someone with insufficient ability and business shortcomings to take over my work—is that what you mean?"
Preston froze.
He'd actually fallen into his trap.
Preston refused to be led by his question. "We're not discussing Mr. Talbot's problems right now. You need to resolve the public opinion issue quickly."
Leopold lit a cigarette. White smoke blurred his sharp features as his thin lips parted coolly to ask, "Are you talking to me now as a father or as a boss?"